Quilt show takes center stage in Bensenville
On most days, Bensenville Park District's Fischer Farm is designed to reflect rural life in the 1920s and '30s.
This weekend, though, the interior of the farmhouse has been transformed into a vibrant display of color and design as the district plays host to its 10th annual All Around the House Quilt Show.
More than 80 quilts were on display Saturday and will be again from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at 16W680 Grand Ave.
"It's just amazing to see all the different designs and all the colors," said Jonathan Sebastian, Fischer Farm museum supervisor. "It's incredible to see the work and skill."
The quilts range in size from about 14-by-14 inches to 88-by-88 inches, he said, "and they pretty much take up the whole house."
The show helps introduce the craft to the uninitiated and serve as an inspiration for even veteran quilters.
"When you sleep under a quilt, you sleep under a blanket of love," Lee Logeman of Park Ridge said. He and Gwen Jaeger of Des Plaines showing visitors various quilts from different eras in an upstairs bedroom at the quilt show.
In addition to checking out the display, visitors could head over to the barn where books, patterns, blocks and even full quilts are on sale.
"I came out here to experience the wonderful skills that the quilters had," said Marge Scheller of Bartlett. "I'm a stained glass artist and I can appreciate the amount of work that goes into these quilts."
And if you've got a quilt that's been passed down through generations, certified appraiser Sherry Branson also is on hand for the fourth straight year to take a close look and tell you how much it might be worth for insurance purposes.
Admission to the show is $4 for those 18 and older and $1 for kids.
Proceeds go toward operation of the five-acre site, which is thought to be one of the oldest remaining homesteads in DuPage County.
The Fischer family settled on the property in 1838 and built the existing house and barn in 1920.
The farm offers programs designed to promote the site's historical and ecological significance. Free house tours are available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, 1 to 5 p.m. Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.
For details, visit bensenvilleparkdistrict.org or write Sebastian at jsebastian@bensenvilleparkdistrict.org.